Of the 23 leaders who had written the controversial letter to Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi, the party high command has zeroed in on three dissenters who will feel the heat for their act. These leaders, sources are, are Kapil Sibal, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma.
The high command is trying to ensure that these three leaders are isolated from the group of the disgruntled ones. Sources say that attempts are being made at the behest of the high command to mollify the dissenters other than Sibal, Azad and Sharma.
According to sources, senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel is placating the other dissenters in an attempt to isolate the three leaders. As an immediate punishment, Ghulam Nabi Azad may be replaced by Mallikarjuna Kharge as leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha during the monsoon session. Sources say that P. Chidambaram and Shashi Tharoor, who were operating from behind the curtain in the letter saga, have managed to save themselves. Chidambaram was not a signatory of the letter, but his role in drafting it was crucial, sources say. Shashi Tharoor was also more than keen to see the repercussions of the whole incident. When things did not go his way, Tharoor changed tack.
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi is said to be taking all the decisions. The growing stature of K.C. Venugopal, Rajiv Satav, Ajay Maken and Randeep Singh Surjewala was also not going down well with the old guards. It all began after Sonia Gandhi became the interim president. Rahul Gandhi wanted Venugopal to be appointed as the interim chief of the party, but the veterans did not allow this to happen. But Rahul Gandhi then succeeded in getting Venugopal appointed as general secretary of the organisation despite tremendous opposition by the old guards. He got a prominent position in the party with this appointment. The old guards say that these younger leaders have neither any experience nor any mass base. Loyalty of Maken and Satav has also been questioned. At the same time, old generation leaders are apprehensive that Rahul Gandhi may push Venugopal for the president post in future.
But after the letter tactics of the veterans misfired, Rahul Gandhi has started tightening his grip over the party with the result that many changes in the organisation will be seen in future. Senior leaders are well aware of what happened to those who claimed to be close to the Gandhi family.
Former President Pranab Mukherjee, who passed away on Monday, could not become Prime Minister on three occasions. Later, he became President on his own. Similarly, Makhan Lal Fotedar, Arjun Singh and Natwar Singh were all close to the Gandhi family. But what happened to all of them is known to one and all.
Another speculation is that the dissenters have some expectations from NCP leader Sharad Pawar. Speculation is rife that Azad may play a major role in the politics of Jammu and Kashmir. This is possible only when the leaders, who are demanding party elections, dare to quit the Congress. It is certain that party elections will take place in April-May next year, but it will be according to age-old tradition of the party, that is a formality.
